Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party) | Oireachtas source

We are being treated to an incredible Government charade this morning. The captain of L.E. Justice paraded into the House to pretend there is no problem and that the ship is sailing smoothly in the calmest of waters. Everyone else sees that his ship is holed above the waterline, the rudder is smashed and smoke is pouring from the engine. Meanwhile, a huge storm is raging, but he has assassinated his second-in-command and thrown the rest of the crew to the sharks.

Can the Government get anything right with this Minister? For St. Patrick's Day he was sent to Mexico, home of the legendary stand-off, when obviously he should have been sent barefoot to Croagh Patrick to see if his arrogance could be treated there. In the last several hours, there have been many references to the acronym GUBU, which was used to describe previous scandals and the arrogance, incompetence and mendacity of the Government. What the Government is saying beggars belief. I would leave out the second "U" from the acronym, however, because this situation is not unprecedented. I would describe it as GUB, or the Government's unbelievable bull. This Minister will shortly be gone. Members can take it for granted that he is history. However, the opportunism and incompetence of the Taoiseach also comes into play, as does the cowardice of Labour Party Ministers in regard to what they are prepared to tolerate. They are experts on the matter of heads on plates but in respect of this matter they have swallowed all of the principles they claim to possess.

Thousands of people have been recorded illegally in Garda stations all over the country. I want to know from the Minister, while he is still here, whether all of these individuals will be told about the data maintained on them. That is their democratic right. Will the Data Commissioner insist on this being done?

Garda management and practice has been outside democratic control in many instances. That has been encouraged by a Government and an establishment which tolerated, for example, the brutalisation of many people in the community of Rossport. Bigwigs are being shipped in from the law courts to do the investigation. I demand a people's inquiry into this saga and the scandal of the behaviour of senior Garda management. It would include ordinary people, victims of malpractice and representative organisations dealing with civil rights. We might then get the truth of the matter, minus the Minister for Justice and Equality, of course.

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